SABALAMBY UNNAYAN SAMITY - IRC · SABALAMBY UNNAYAN SAMITY - Development Area Appraisal Document Dhaka, Bangladesh June 19 9 5. LIBRARY IRC »0 Box 93190, 2509 AD THE HAGUE Tel.:

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libraryIRC intemationarWaterand Sanitation CentreTel • +31 70 30 689 80Fax: +31 70 35 899 64

SABALAMBY UNNAYAN SAMITY

- Development Area Appraisal Document

Dhaka, Bangladesh

June 19 9 5

LIBRARY IRC»0 Box 93190, 2509 AD THE HAGUE

Tel.: +31 70 30 689 80Fax: +31 70 35 899 64

BARCODE:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I

1.0. DEVELOPMENT AREA 3

1.1. General Description 3111 . Netrakona District 31.1.2. Physical infrastructure 3

1.2. Criteria for Selection 41.2.1. Lack of development infrastructure 412.2. An assessment of the presence of NGOs working in Netrakona district 51.2.3. Criteria for selection of thanas 61.2.4. Recommendations 6

2.0. PARTNER ORGANISATION 8

2.1. General Description 82.1.1. Legal status, history, philosophy, aims and objectives 82.12. Activities and achievements 92.13. Organisation structure and staffing 92 14. Financial status and accountability systems . 9

2.2. Criteria for Selection 102.2.1. Credibility with local community, administration and other NGOs 102.2.2. Strategic compatibility with CSP 112.2.3. Scope for learning 112.2.4. Transparency and willingness to work in partnership with AAB 11

3.0. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 12

3.1. Situation Analysis 123.1.1. Landless and marginal farmer families 123.1.2. Widowed and divorced poor women 133.1.3. Drop-out children . 133.1.4. Young adolescent girls 143.1.5. Traditional working class families 143.1.6. Disabled people 14

3.2. Proposed interventions 153.3. Project Financing 163.4. Conclusion 16

Bibliography 17Annexure A. A l , A2: Map of Bangladesh, Netrakona and Atpara 18-20Annexure B: Main physical features of Nctrakona district 21Annexure C: Physical presence of NGOs in Netrakona district 22Annexure D; Organisational structure of SUS 23Annexure E: List of funders against amount of funding (1994) 24

S»b»l»mby Utuiyan Samiry: Appraisal Document

ACTIONAID BANGLADESH - DA4 --EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 The rationale for identifying new forms of partnership roaüsisL the poor is given m the CSP of ACTIONAIDBangladesh. The proposed Development. Area, which is inNetrakona District and situated in the centre north ofthe country, is the first effort to start a long termchild sponsorship programme with an established local NGOin Bangladesh, To date all devo l.opment assistance in the?\ DA';; has been operational .

:•] Netrakona District is amongst the most poor andvulnerable districts in Bangladesh and the pr^p" i DAwill be in Atpara thana which consists of 7 unions, 162villages and covers 21,325 families. Initial work willstart in 3 thanas.

These 3 thanas are Baniajan, Sarmaisa and Sonni, covering35 villages with a total of 4606 families.

Human Development Indicators show that the district isparticularly weak in providing health and educationservices. Information collected proves that thepolitical environment Is conducive" for long termdevelopment activities by NGO's. The socio-economicconditions of the poor and vulnerable remain harsh andthere are indications that the physical environment inwhich people live is deteriorating.

3. The target groups that have been identified include:* landless and marginal farmer families * drop-

outchildren

* widowed and divorced poor women * disabledpeople

* traditional working class families * adolesc

girls

The livelihood system is based on rice production andfishing and it is noted that changes in this systemcontribute to a further marginalisation of these targetgroups. Off-farm activities are limited. A povertyanalysis of all the target groups has been done, theresult of which gives scope for an integrated approachtowards significant poverty reduction within poorcommunities.

SUS, the proposed partner NGO has been working in thethana of Netrakona-Sadar since 1986 and is wellestablished and respected by government and otherdevelopment institutions. It's a medium sized local NGO

Sabalamby Onnyan 3amity: Appraisal Document Pag« 1

which employs nearly 100 staff; SUS has developed anadequate management system with correspondingaccountability standards. Its activities focus on thedevelopment ot the community and the sustainabi 1 ïty of:SUS itself. Activities include institution building byorganising women's groups through which SUS provideshuman development training and skills training. Thesegroups constitute the mechanism Cor the provision offinancial services to poor and underprivileged women.SUS also runs a successful non-formal primary educationprogramme. The production and growing national andinternational sales of handicrafts generates income toenhance the potential for inst ltut ionctl ^^_, ..amabil 1 ty .

ACTIONAID will in collaboration with SUS vork towards thefollowing goal in the thana of Atpara: " To make thetarget people self reliant in order to plan and implementdifferent socio-economic and environmental issues with aview to set up an institutional framework to establish abalanced society". This will be pursued by an integratedapproach and include interventions in the sectors of (i)health and primary health care education, (ii) education,and (iii) social development and institution building.

smhv TTnnvan S s n i t v Annraieal Document

ACTIONAID Bangladesh and SUS have analysed both theirstrengths and weaknesses and there exists; scope tor-mutual learning. The input by ACTIONAID concentrates onlong term funding support that will lead towards a largerand better managed SUS effectively covering a growingnumber of the target groups. Keywords are training,research, financial services systems suppoit .monitoringand evaluation, analysis and planning, and i r.rA: 1 rut ionbuiId ing.

SUS current work is funded mainly by Scandinavian donorscoordinated by NO RAD. ACTIONAID will Lund .in extension toSUS work m the thana of At para, _.._. re will be no overlapof funding. ACTIONAID will as from 1996 become the majorfunding organisation of SUS.

8. The preparation of this DA and the selection of SUS haveso far been supported by the National Fund. It isproposed to convert it to a long term sponsorship fundeddevelopment programme from 1996 onwards. Approval forthis has been given by SDD in Chard and child casehistory collection would be completed by December 1995.

9. The budget for the period August-December 1995amounts to £10,000. For the year 1996 a budget of £45,000is proposed and for the year 1997 a budget of £48,000.These include allocations of central overheads.

10. YEAR

BalanceIncome

Expend.Clos.Res.

1995(Aug.-Dec.)

10,

10,

No.Sponsors

0,000 (N.F.)

. 0000

0

1996

5,30,

35,

0000000

0000

400

(Sp.)(N.F.)

1997

58,

48,10,

0000 (Sp.)

000000

400

The above table shows that:- no overdraft is required;- income will accrue 12 months after submission of casehistories;- two and a half months reserves will be built up beforethe end of 1997 and will be up to three months by 1998.

1.0. DEVELOPMENT AREA

1.1. General Description

I I I Nctrakona District

Netrakona district has a population of 1,730,935 people and 327,379 households It is part ofGreater Mymensing and is located in the North of the country bordering India in the North,Mymcnsing in the west, Sunamganj in the east and Kishorcganj in the south (see AnncxureA&A1). A part of the Dhaka Division (one of five administrative divisions in Bangladesh),Netrakona district is divided in to 10 thanas and 92 unions.

1.1.2. Physical infrastructure

Netrakona is a low-lying district, known particularly for its extensive haors (large low-lying landsubmerged in water during the rainy season). In six out of the 10 thanas, between 50%-80% ofthe land is covered with water for about four months during the rainy season. This makes the landparticularly suited to rice production and fish cultivation - the two dominant economic activities inthe region.

In a historical context, Netrakona has been a rice and fish surplus area. Most, of its people - therich and poor alike - have, therefore, tended to devote their land, resources and labour in theproduction of rice and the cultivation of fish However, over the years the introduction and over-use of new technologies such as deep tube wells, HYV seeds and chemical fertilisers have not onlyadversely affected the eco-system but also the traditional system of subsistence farming. As aresult, while Netrakona continues to be a rice/fish surplus district, increasingly disproportionatebenefits arc accruing to a very small number of people.

Today, it is estimated that the HYV BORO and IRRI have now overtaken traditional varieties asthe main rice crop in Netrakona. BORO and IRRI cover nearly 60% of the cultivable land, whilethe traditional varieties such as Aus and Aman cover 35%. The remaining 5% is used for lowyielding local varieties and jute. Apart from the implications this has for small and marginalfarmers vis the high costs for inputs, only four out of the 10 thanas are planting rice in all threeseasons while the remaining six concentrate on a one season rice (ie. BORO/IRRJ) This meansthat for the landless, their access to income (which is Tk.50 during the harvesting period and Tk.35during the planting season) is restricted to at best six months a year. The above has led to acontinuing pattern of (seasonal) migration to the larger towns of Mymensing, Dhaka and to the teagrowing areas of Sylhet District.

Fishing, the second important economic activity in Netrakona, is particularly lucrative for about sixmonths of the year when the haors are full. However, since it costs approximately Tk.5-Tk.10lakhs to lease and exploit one haor, only the rich benefit from the windfall profits that are made infisheries. All added value processing activities are done outside of the area (Munshiganj andBhairab) and thus employment in the fisheries sector is restricted to simply the catching.

The town of Netrakona with an estimated population of 150,000 inhabitants and the smaller thanacentres of approximately up to 30,000 inhabitants provide virtually the only possibility for off-farmeconomic activities These are primarily in the service sector (trade, transport and food).

SaLulamby Unnyin Simity: Appriiul DocumentPige 3

While the level of off-farm economic activity is limited, it is expected to expand ascommunications between and within the district and thanas improve. Currently, off-farm activityis primarily located in Mohanganj, Kendua, Barhata and Netrakona thanas (because of bettercommunication)

With regards to communication, road transport from Netrakona town to the other thana centresremains in most cases difficult Bridges arc lacking and ferry services arc often out of orderPlans arc under way to link all nine thana centres to Netrakona town with improved tarred roadsby the year 1998 Communication within the thanas remains weak (most arc earthen roads)During the rainy season local transport to villages and hamlets in the haors areas is done by boatsand functions well.

For a summary of the main physical features of Netrakona district see Annexing R.

1.2. Criteria for Selection

In Bangladesh there arc thousands of small NGO's, over a hundred NGO's the size of theidentified partner SUS and more than 10 very large national NGO's, some of which even haveannual budgets that can match the total budget of ACTIONAID UK

The CSP provides the background and rationale for working with local and regional NGO's andindeed some of the national NGO's The NGO Coordination Unit and the Disability CoordinationUnit have started to work exclusively with these NGO's and concentrate on issues of technicalsupport with training, strengthening management capacity / institution building as well as fundingsupport.

With the current three DAs being operational ACTIONAID Bangladesh firmly believes that thetime is ripe to start supporting small and medium sized Bangladeshi NGO's who are directlyworking with poor communities and who show capacity for further growth in terms of size andquality.

The proposed DA has been selected based on the (i) lack of development infrastructure, (ii) anassessment of the presence of NGOs working in the district and (iii) criteria for selection of thanas.

1.2.1. Lack of development infrastructure

In terms of human development indicators, Netrakona ranks among the five most vulnerabledistricts in the Dhaka division which totals 26 districts. The table below provides the relativepositions of Netrakona district and the national averages vis-a-vis human development indicators.

The tables below clearly shows two key features in Netrakona's development infrastructure.'Prevalence' refers to the objective situation in the region, while 'Service Delivery' refers to thelevels of intervention in the area. From both angles, it may be seen that all indicators, apart fromthe prevalence of child malnutrition and of diarrhoea, are much worse than the national averages,particularly the indicators under service delivery. That the health and education situation is poorand that intervention is required is clear. However, it has been less easy to conclude that there is aneed in terms of economic support, particularly in light of the fact that Netrakona is a rice/fishsurplus region. This said, if it is assumed that 'Roofing' is a good proxy indicator of expenditure,then it would be safe to conclude that Netrakona could benefit from economic support.

Sabalamliy Unnyan Sumity: Appraisal Diicument

Some of the well known national and international NGO's such as IDEAS, CARITAS and WorldVision arc prominent in the thanas of Durgapur and Kalmakanda working more or less exclusivelywith tribal minorities.

The map in Anncxurc C provides a visual desenption of NGOs in Nctrakoru district

1.2.3. Catena for selection of thanas

Since it is envisaged that AAB will develop DA4 in partnership with a locally based NGO, thechoice of thanas in which to work in becomes fairly straight forward. In essence there are threeoverriding criteria (apart from the obvious one which is that there should be a need):

(i) in thanas that have few NGOs; and/or(ii) where there is sufficient scope for expansion over a penod of 10-15 years, and/or(iii) presence of one or two local NGOs that have the capacity and some experience to engage

in long-term development work with the poor in partnership with AAB

Using criterion (i), the choice of thanas becomes (a) Atpara, (b) Mohanganj, (c) Khaliajuri, (d)Madan and (e) Kcndua. All other thanas have a very large presence of NGOs

Adding the criterion (ii), the choice of thanas becomes (a) Atpara, (b) Mohanganj, (c) Madan and(d) Kendua. There is a very large CONCERN operational programme in Khaliajuri thana. Alsowhile Kendua thana appears to have a number of large national NGOs working, it is a very largethana with 19 unions compared to an average of seven unions for all other thanas; there istherefore sufficient scope for expansion.

Adding criterion (iii), the choice of thanas become in order of preference (a) Atpara, (b) Kendua,and (c) Mohanganj.

1.2.4. Recommendations

The Pre-ldentification Mission and the Identification Mission contacted all off the governmentoffices at district and thana level and all the offices of the NGO's working in the district.A short field visit was also made to the programmes of the majority of the national and localBangladeshi NGO's

Most local NGO's have started their operations in the thana of Netrakona-Sadar, have over theyears concentrated their work in this thana and only slowly developed work in the surroundingthanas, mainly to the east and to the south.

Following recommendations of the Pre-ldentification Mission a number of NGO's were visited forthe second time for further contact and verification (SUS, VDS, EDM, CDA, ASA, DAB).

Page 6 SahaUmby Unnyan Samity: Appraisal Document

Main elements to appraise a future possible long term working relationship with ACTIONAIDincluded the following;

Mission Statements and the origin of the NGO;

The level of local engagement and good working relations/ties with the poor localcommunities,

Contacts with Government and positive feedback from the Government and other NGO'sworking in the district,

Professional approach showing from a variety of info such as availability of annual plansand evaluations carried out;

Good or potentially good operational capacity of self developed programmes (notcontracting for other organisations),

Long term activities focusing on women, children and families of the poorest communities;

Integrated approach leading to a variety of activities,

Openness to new ideas and awareness of the need to improve the quality off developmentfirst! (sustainability, monitoring and evaluation, management);

Potential for geographical expansion,

Positive inclination towards child sponsorship.

Based on the above it was somehow disappointing that only a few NGO's show potential for along term relationship with ACTIONAID. It should however be noted that the central andsouthern thanas of the Netrakona District have shown in recent years a remarkable growth in newNGO's and small groups of people wishing to become involved in the development of the area.

S»b»l»mby Unnyin S*mity: Appraisal Document p 7

2.0. PARTNER ORGANISATION

2.1. General Description

2 11 Legal status, history, philosophy, aims and obiccuvcs

Sabalamby Unnayan Samity (SUS) is a private voluntary development organisation established in1986 SUS gained registration with the Ministry of Social Welfare on 3 June 1986 underregistration number 042 It was also registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau to receive foreignfunds on 21 October 1990 under registration number 392

While SUS was formally established in 1986, it was informally organised by four women andthree men in 1985 under the charismatic leadership of Mrs Begum Rokcya who is presently itsExecutive Director Typically like many community based organisations, the driving force behindthe formation of SUS was based on the strong personal experiences of its leader - Begum Rokeya -who had had to overcome many social obstacles to not only establish her rights in the communitywhich had originally threatened to take these away, but also, remarkably, to gain recognition andrespect in the process. That she could help other women in her community to do the same,therefore, became the basis for the formation of SUS. Working with poor and underprivilegedwomen continues to be the philosophy with which SUS works.

Like many women in rural Bangladesh, Begum Rokeya-married at the age of 15. Sheassimilated herself into her new environment, giving up her formal education for familylife within a conservative household. After seven years of marriage and two children, shewas divorced. However, unlike many other women who have gone through similarexperiences as Begum Rokeya, she once again enrolled herself in to school, then in tocollage and finally in to university. After graduation she took up a teaching position in alocal school, where she remained until 1990.

The remarkable history of Begum Rokeya's personal life and her wish to see other women claimtheir entitlements found a sympathetic audience in Sweden. A small group of like-mindedindividuals who share in Begum Rokeya's 'dream' provided SUS with its first financial support inthe form of 10 knitting machines, and with these SUS began its first activities - providing trainingon sewing and knitting to the poor and underprivileged women in the community These sewingand knitting operations have now been transformed in to healthy income generation activities andthe initial contacts in Sweden have formed themselves into a formal group which provides fundsfor more than a third of SUS' annual expenditure.

Since receiving registration from the NGO Affairs Bureau, SUS has become a professionaldevelopment organisation covering 111 villages under seven unions in Netrakona thana (sadar).The main activities of SUS may be broadly classified in two groups: (1) development of thecommunity through institution "building, provision of financial services, health care and familyplanning, and education, (2) sustainability of SUS through revenue generation activities inhandicrafts, cloth work, farming

pa„c )f Salmlamhy Unnyan Samity: Appraisal Document

2.1.2 Activities and achievements

The core activities of SUS in the development of the community centre around institution buildingby organising women's groups through which SUS provides human development training (socialawareness, leadership development, para-legal training, primary heaJth care) and skills training(through a model farm that creates an environment for clients to accumulate different skills frompoultry rearing and pisciculture to crop/vegetable cultivation and apiculture), and employmentcounselling (handicraft training, compulsory education) These groups also constitute the essentialmechanism through which SUS provides financial services to poor and underprivileged womenApart from these, SUS also provides non-formal primary education Beyond these activities whichmostlv centre on women's groups and their children, SUS' other activities include the provision offamily planning support to women in terms of motivation and distribution of material, and aresidential counselling centre for abused and separated/divorced women

The core activities in the sustamability of SUS is through the production of handicrafts and theproduce from the model demonstration farm for sale in the local, national (only handicrafts) andinternational (only handicrafts) markets These not only generate a healthy income (over £9,000 in1994) that is ploughed back into development activities, but also add value to their developmentwork through providing skills training and employment counselling

2.1.3. Organisation structure and staffing

\ S U S is located in Netrakona Sadar, the heart of Netrakona district It completely owns its officepremises and operates from here to cover 111 villages in Netrakona Sadar.

There are 10 members in the Executive Committee (EC). All the members of the EC are drawnfrom the community and they participate in decisions concerning the direction and the choice offunders for SUS. The General Secretary is also the Executive Director of SUS who exercisessignificant influence over the EC which is atypical of many community based organisations inBangladesh.

The organisation is structured along sectors and projects. Each of the sectors and projects areheaded by Project Coordinators (except for the model farm project which is headed by a ProjectManager), all of whom report to the Programme Administrator, who in turn reports to theExecutive Director. A detailed outline of the organisational structure can be found underAnnexure D

There are 94 paid staff of whom 32 arc teachers in the non-formal education centres. There areeight senior staff, 13 mid-level staff, 35 junior staff, and 6 support staff,

2.1.4. Financial status and accountability systems

The accounts of SUS are managed by the Accountant position which reports to the ProgrammeAdministrator. It is acknowledged that as SUS expands its activities, particularly in savings &credit, a need for a senior accountant, with greater decision making authority, will arise. However,for the time being, the present structure is adequate. The financial management system has beenreviewed by AAB and is felt to be satisfactory Certain minor changes will need to be made tomeet AA statutory requirements, most of which have been agreed upon during discussions withSUS

Sabalamliy Unnyan Samity: Appraisal Document p

SUS has been receiving foreign funds from 1990, and it is being presently funded by fiveinternational agencies, two para-statals and one national NGO A list of fundcrs against amount offunding and activity/project may be found in Annexure E. Total donations received in the 1994-95period amounted to £44,239, while total expenditure for the same period was £45,726 - the excessof expenditure over income represents balances carried forward from 1993 and bank interest

There has been some informal discussion between SUS and some of its present funders onformalising the funding process through organising a consortium of international fundcrs, althoughthe way funding is currently structured (earmarked to specific projects with a core fund toprimarily meet administrative overheads) it is unlikely that such an arrangement will bear fruitwithout significant alterations in the strategies of some of SUS' existing funders

Consortia apart, AAB will be funding SUS for the expansion of its work (both in size and scope)in Atpara thana, and this will therefore mean that AAB will be the single fiinder for its work inAtpara Tins will ensure greater programme and financial clarity in the statutory reports

2.2. Criteria for Selection

Since April 1995, AAB has been in discussions with SUS on the possibilities of developing a longterm partnership. Detailed discussions were made with the Executive Director, some staff andExecutive Committee members of SUS, members of the local government and the community inwhich SUS works. These were followed:up with a three month funding agreement through thenational fund for a disability survey among the client-members of SUS, and a workshop - the mainelements of which were to (a) identify local needs, vulnerable groups, causes of poverty andvulnerability, and areas of support, (b) identify the strengths and weaknesses of SUS and AAB toensure effective partnership, and (c) plan future programme and implementation strategy/procedure.

SUS is being proposed as a project partner based on AAB's discussions with the various stake-holders in Netrakona, the output of the workshop and the initial partnership experience which AABhas gained through the disability survey.

The following are the criteria applied for selecting SUS as an AAB partner organisation:

The process of selecting the geographical area of the DA and identifying the partner organisationfollows below:

2 2 1 Credibility with local community, administration and other NGQs

Since beginning its activities in 1986, SUS has developed an excellent relationship with the localcommunity, administration and NGOs working in Netrakona Sadar. Its partnership relationshipwith the para-statals FPSTC (family planning) and Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (whichprovides funding to NGOs for credit operations), as well as with other international donors, hasearned it much credibility and respect from both the local administration and other NGOs. In thefinal analysis, however, SUS derives its legitimacy from the people with whom they work, andfrom both the programme visits in the field and discussions with SUS clients it is clear that SUSand its staff are well respected and admired for their work

l 0 S»balamhy Unnyan Samity: Appraisal Document

22 2 Strategic compatibility with CSP

From the very beginning of its work, SUS has been driven not only by a need to address theproblems of the resource poor such as landless/marginal farmer families and traditional workingclass families, but also those who are socially vulnerable such as adolescent girls,widowed/divorced poor women and drop-out children The work of SUS with both the poor andvulnerable is in line AAB's mission and strategy over the I994-9S period The workshoporganised by SUS and AAB also helped to identify one further vulnerable group with whom SUSwishes to work - namely disabled people

While a few activities have been developed to deal specifically with the problems unique to eachgroup, by and large activities of SUS have attempted to provide solutions to the problems that arecommonly faced by both the poor and vulnerable Partnership with AAB will help SUS to buildon their experience to addressing the common causes, while strengthen its capacity to plan andimplement more specific programmes for the separate vulnerable groups.

2.2.3. Scope for learning

The SWOT exercise with SUS at the AAB/SUS workshop highlighted a number of areas oflearning for both AAB and SUS In broad terms, it was acknowledged that AAB with its longexperience in the provision of financial services and research and in management and financialsystems, that it is in a position to develop not only institutional capacity but also contribute toSUS' better understanding of financial services to the poor. Similarly, SUS with its strong base inthe community and with the diversity of its programmes means that AAB has many opportunitiesto learn from SUS about the causes of poverty of those groups with which AAB has littleexperience. This will, in time, lead AAB to better articulate the experiences and needs of the poorand vulnerable in Bangladesh

2 24 Transparency and willingness to work in partnership with AAB

Throughout AAB's discussions with SUS, one striking feature has been the high level ofcooperation and transparency present at all levels of the organisation Staff members genuinelyparticipate in discussions that are normally the reserve of senior managers, and they have shownkeen interest in gaining an in-depth understanding of AAB and its systems Ad-hoc discussionsand the workshop included from AAB its Country Director, staff of NCU, DCU, and financedepartment, and from SUS its Executive Committee Members, all senior and mid-level staff and afew junior staff. Additionally, field visits were also made by both AAB and SUS staff to theirrespective projects and DAs to gain a better understanding of each others' working practices.Finally, AAB's sponsorship manager has visited SUS twice and has found a positive response andinterest towards child sponsorship.

Salulamby Unnym Srnnity: Appriiiil Document p l g e

3.0. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

3.1. Situation Analysis

The proposed initial area of work in the DA will be in Atpara thana (see Annexure A2) Alparaconsists of seven unions, 162 villages and covers 21,325 families

Atpara thana is a low lying area spread over approximately 204 sq km., most of which is availablefor cultivation. However, during the monsoon season, a third of all the unions are under water forabout four months. Communication within the thana is, nevertheless, adequate

The major groups that have been identified as being the most vulnerable in Netrakona include.

o landless and marginal farmer familiesu widowed and divorced poor womeno drop-out childreno young adolescent girlso traditional working class familieso disabled people

An identification of these groups came about during the AAB/SUS workshop mentioned earlier;SUS are already working with all these groups (with the exception of disabled people) This thenled naturally to identifying the causes of their vulnerability The recognition of the causesconstitutes the analysis of the situation in which these vulnerable groups live (and die!).

3.1.1. Landless and marginal farmer families

Exploitative system Use of modern technology Unequal distribution(patron-client & high (high costs leading to marginalisation of resources & prohibitiveinterest local money and differentiation of peasantry) access to capitalmarket)

Drought Over population

Landless and marginal farmer families

Illiteracy Lack of awareness

Lack of knowledge of Lack of basic health and Lack of employment opportunitiesalternative IGAs education facilities in agriculture and low wages

(vicious circle)

12 Sabalamby Unnyan Sitnity: Appraisal Document

3.1.2. jreed poor women

Patriarchy and inflexiblesocial norms & customs(social discrimination& segregation)

Lack of awareness of socialand legal rights (no compensationin cases of divorce & no inheritance)

Unequal access to resources& income (within h.hold &in employment market)

Lack of incomeearning skills

Unemployment

Widowed and divorced poor women

Lack of knowledge ofalternative IGAs

Lack of basic health andeducation facilities

Lack of accessto capital for IGA

3.1.3. Drop-out children

Lack of awareness of theimportance of educationon the part of the parents

The opportunity costs incurred in sendingchildren to school (direct monetary costsof education and the expenditure savingsforegone)

Drop-out children

Inadequate and uninterestingschool curriculum

Poorly trained anduncommitted teachers

Lack of politicalcommitment toprimary education

Sabilimby Unnyan Smmity: Appraisal Document Page 13

3.1.4. Young adolescent girls

Early marriage(due to social pressure)

Social perception of beinga burden on the family

Dowry system &the consequencesof non-payment

Young adolescent girls

Ineffectual legal system

Poor family life education

Neglect of female education

3.1.5, Traditional working class families (such as puffed rice producers)

Lack of access to capitalto continue with traditional craft

More efficient productionmethods marginalisingtraditional activities

Lack of educationto plan businessactivity

|[ Traditional working class families

Lack of knowledge ofalternative IGAs

Lack of basic health andeducation facilities

Lack of accessto resources

3.1 6 Disabled people

Lack of awareness of causesof disability

Poor health practicespregnant mothers

Untrained TBAs &health workers

Social practiceof inter-marriage

Disabled people

Lack of treatmentfacilities

Lack of awareness of parents Social taboos leading to social segregation Lack of skills &and community of needs of & discrimination (in marriage, education & lack of access todisabled people employment) capital

Page 14 SabaUmby Unnyan Samity: Appraisal Document

3.2. Proposed Interventions

SUS has been intensively working with landless and marginal fanner families, widowed anddivorced poor women, drop-out children, young adolescent girls, and traditional working classfamilies for the past five years. During this time it has become an organisation whose staff havedeveloped a profound and keen understanding of the problems faced by these people and howthese relate to the community in which they live

Based on their experience of working with the groups mentioned, SUS proposes to expand itswork both in size and scope. Its move to Atpara thana will constitute the expansion of their workin terms of size, and a more focused approach to vulnerable groups and the addition of disabledpeople in its target population will constitute the broadening of its work in terms of scope.

The overall goal of the project will be:

"To make the target people self-reliant in order to plan and implement differentsocio-economic and environmental issues with a vieyv to set-up an institutionalfram&vork to establish a balanced society ".(sic)

The initial approach of SUS will be to continue with a group based integrated approach to thedevelopment of the community. This will, therefore, initially involve interventions that address allof the common causes of vulnerability faced by the vulnerable groups it has identified Broadly,these will include interventions in the sectors of (i) health and primaxy health care education,(ii) education, and (iii) social development/institution building.

In the health and primary health care sector, SUS will provide intensive training and awarenessraising to the members of its affiliated groups in Atpara issues on environmental hygiene,immunisation, family planning, clean drinking water and nutrition. SUS will also closelycollaborate with traditional health practitioners and government health workers to improve thelattcrs' ability to provide safe and effective health services to the community

In the education sector, SUS will work with parents and the community to provide non-formalprimary education to it children. This will involve the establishment of education centres,motivation of parents and the community, and the continuous training of teachers. It will alsoprovide adult functional education as a means of dealing with one of the root causes of poverty -illiteracy and lack of awareness of entitlement rights.

In the social development/institution building sector, the main trust of the activities will includeintensive training in skills and social rights, and the provision of financial services for small tradesand agro-based

Over time, as SUS consolidates its work to address the causes of vulnerability and povertycommon to all the vulnerable groups, it will begin confronting some of the problems that arespecific to each vulnerable group.

Sabalamby Unnyan Samity. Appraisal Document

3.3. Project Financing

The first steps in preparing DA4 were taken at the end of 1994 and costs were supported by theNational Fund to an amount of £2,374 out of a budget of £5,000 The agreed budget for 1()95 was£10,000 out of which till July 1995 an amount of £1,0X4 has been spent Planned activitiesdunng 1995 as proposed by SUS amount to £14,554 for the penod of August - December 1495

From August 1995 onwards a number of 400 case histories will be collected as agreed by SDDIn 1996 and 1997 SUS will be supported by sponsorship funds 800 case histories are planned for1996 and 1000 case histories for 1997. However it is not sure whether the number of sponsorshipsplanned will actually be approved by SDD because of the constraints in recruiting new sponsorsAs a result of this, Plans and Budgets for DA4 in 1996 and 1997 will have to show a cautiousapproach. It is further planned ilui uuuuto..out the life cycle of DA4 a maximum of 1000 sponsorsper year may contribute to the funding requirements

At the moment SUS is funded mainly by Scandinavian donors coordinated by NORAD while itreceives small grants for specific projects from IVS and Bangladeshi organisationsDiscussions with NORAD are scheduled to take place how future funding by ACTIONAID is to becoordinated.

3.4. Conclusion

The appraisal done follows the strategic options as developed in the CSP (1994-1998)While continuing its operational approach ACTIONAID-Bangladesh intends to put more emphasison supporting local organisations some of whom may take the full shape of a DAThe proposed long term sponsorship funded partnership with SUS is the first of its kind It aims tocarry forward the goal of significant poverty reduction of poor communities in Nctrakona District.

The appraisal has confirmed that:

The Human Development Indicators in Netrakona District are much worse than thenational average especially in terms of service delivery:The proposed target group, which predominantly consists of women and children, is themost disadvantaged group in terms of their poverty and vulnerabilityThe local political situation is conducive to long term development work by NGO's whilethe difficult socio-economic situation offers potential for the implementation of a variety ofsmall scale projects with the communities;The partner organisation identified has a professional approach towards development, istherefore committed to develop its potential and experience, and has shown a genuineinterest to do so with ACTIONAID Bangladesh,There is strategic compatibility between the proposed project partner and ACTIONAID,Some of the strengths of ACTIONAID can be instrumental in overcoming the needs andweaknesses of SUS and there is much scope for mutual learning.

It is therefore recommended that approval be granted to start a long term sponsorship basedprogramme with SUS.

A formal Memorandum of Understanding with SUS and the necessary corresponding officialdocuments will be signed once approval has been granted.

Page 16 Sabilamliy Unnyan Samirv Appraisal Document

Bibliography

Country Strategy Paper (1994-1998) / AAB Dhaka 1994

Appraisal documents and studies of Plan International for starting its workin Bangladesh / Dhaka 1994

Progothir Pathcy (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF) Progress towardsthe achievement of the goals for the 1990's / Dhaka 1994

Pre Identification Report of new DA4 by S. Munshi and R. Barua / AAB Dhaka 1995

Terms of Reference Pre Identificatie- S : ^ AAB Dhaka 1995

Memorandum on Identification of DA4 by T v Zutphen / AAB Dhaka 1995

Identification Study Report DA4 by Aminullah/Barua/Hussain/van Zutphen,Dhaka May 1995.

June 1995

Feisal HussainTon van Zutphen

Mukul Rahman

Sabtlamby Unnym Samity: Appraisal Document

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P.ge 18 Sab»Umby Unnyan Sxmit}': Appraisal Document

Anncxurc A2: Map of Atoara thana and SUS' proposed working

NCTRAKOMA DISTRICT

ATPARA

i i " . i i ' • •' "

01

NETRAKONA

Pie* 20S»b«Umby Unnym Simi<y: Apprii*»] Documtnf

Annexure B: Main physical features of Nctrakona district

ThanaV

Durgapur

KaJmakanda

BarhaXta

Mohanganj

Khaliajuri

Mad an

Kcndua

Atpara

Netrakona

PurbadhaJa

Main crop

Boro/IRRl/Aman

Boro/IRRI/Aman/Aus

Boro/IRRl/Aman/Aus

Boro/IRRJ

Boro/lRRi

Boro/IRRJ

Boro/IRRl/Aman/Aus

Boro/IRRJ

Boro/IRRJ/Aman/Aus

Boro/IRJU/Aman/Aus

Haors

Few

Feu

None

Many

Many

Manv

None

Few

None

None

Off farmactivity

Low

Low

Medium

High

Lov. (very)

Low

High

Low

Medium

Low

Communication(road + rail)

Difficult

Difficult

Average

Average

Difficult

Average

Good

Average

Good

Difficult

SibiUmby Unnyin Sumity: Appnisal Documtnt Page 2 1

* * ft

Annexure C: Physical presence of NGOs in Netrakona district

UPAZ1L A -GEO-CODE MAPNETROKONA DISTRICT

22 Sabalamby Unnyan Samity: Appraitil Document

1

2

3

4

S

6

Name of fundcr

NORM)

SUS Support Group

SUS Support Group

Society of Friends in

BRAC

TPSTC

in Finland

in Sweden

Sweden, Quaker

•

Taka

313,481

.108.221

282,019

«86,120

124,729

828.2422.742.812

£

4,971

4,549

14.292

2,012

13,35944 239

24 S*b*Umby Unnyin Simlty: Appmijil Document